Glad to hear that mom, baby and MINI are all doing well

We need baby pictures!!!! (I think we like new babies almost as much as we like MINIs! )

 

People adapt. My 03 MCS is my FAMILY car. My 6' daughter can fit in the back- but if all 3 kids go she gets the front. I've had 2 in car seats in back - though I have not tried rear facing. I've taken 3 teens, and once I made 2 trips to get everyone there. The thing I like best is all the $$$ I save. I go 3 times the distance for the gas $$ as my SUV, and there is not room for many souveniers. I just got rear ended, impact 30 mph, and the passenger area is totally intact. One safety note - loose items in the car will kill you dead flying around. In the MINI items are generally stowed. Finally - a co-worker who spent a lot of time telling me how unsafe MINI looks was killed in a 3 series BMW last summer :(

 

Here is a pic of my baby boy by request!! ETA - someone asked his name - his name is Ben. :D




The car seat is going in and out of the MINI just fine so far! It will be a little more challenging as he gets heavier, but I am SOOOOO happy that the MINI is still with me! AND, so happy I didn't succumb to the everpresent notion that parents have to run out and buy a SUV (bleh) or minivan (doublebleh). Where is that vomiting smilie when I need it?

 

CONGRATS!!! Ben is absolutely adorable, take good care of yourselves. Get alot of rest and spend as much time as possible just gazing at him. He'll be off and running before you know it!

Annette

 

YAY!!! Congrats!!! He's SO adorable!

And I must say... what an EXCELLENT name choice!

He'll live a long and wonderful life and he'll totally LOVE his name.

Trust me.

 

anyone that recommends putting a baby in a baby seat in the back of the mini is either crazy or a little too enthusiastic about this car. the rear of the car has no protection for a child.

 

Why did you make this statement? Do you have data or literature to support your statement. So if the rear of the MINI has no protection for a child, how much protection is there if an adult? Should I rip out the back seat to ensure no one gets hurt sitting back there?

 

Congrats on your new baby! Ben is a cutie!

My son is now 2 years and 2 months old. He's been motoring with me in my MINI since he was 4 weeks. At this age, he's able, or more succinctly prefers to climb into the back seat and into his car seat by himself. He's definitely in his terrible two's right now, constantly asserting his independence and his ability to say NO.

He's also starting to kick the seat backs too, which as I understand will only get worse as his legs get longer!

As the Dr. said, once you move from rear facing to forward facing, life gets much better. My wife likes to sit in back with my son--she sits behind me, and my son sits diagonal from me so I can see him in my rear view mirror. Usually she gets in first, and I just hand my son to her--she just places him in his car seat--I think her biceps are probably larger than mine now.

Which reminds me, if you work out, continue doing so, and if you don't, it's a good time to start. LOL.

And ignore any rude comments about MINIs and safety. If you haven't personally been there, then you have nothing to say.

 

Congrats to WannaMini_ on the baby and keeping the MINI!!!!

I don't have any experience with an infant in a MINI, but my 3.5 year son loves riding in the MINI! He can almost get into his seat by himself, but I usually help him over the door sill to avoid him stepping on the paint.


Don't knock a minivan, especially when it's a 6-7 hour drive to Disneyland with lots of luggage!

 

Aborable baby!!!

I just found out my "baby" just locked the keys in his car with the engine running. How quickly they grow up.

 

The Mrs. & I recently found out that we will be expecting in Febuary. Glad this thread is around - the advice supplied by everyone will be very helpful.

 

I suggest you change your handle to Wannababy.

It's ALL good!

 

Quite the contrary. I found rear collision data on the MINI, and it was actually rated GOOD. My husband's Sentra on the other hand? Rated FAIR. And I refuse to get a Minivan or tank SUV. SUVs flip. I love my son very much, and the idea that you would question my mothering or call me "crazy" leaves me infuriated.

What the heck do you think they do in Europe? Tanks and Minivans won't even fit in their streets. Are they "crazy" because they don't run out and buy the family mobile? Shoot - MINIs are BIG cars by European standards. I hate this American way of thought that as soon as you have a child, you have to let go of everything fun, and go out and buy a tank to shuttle the little ones to soccer practice and go get the groceries. It's just not necessary.

 

We drove this for the first 5 or 6 years of our marriage, hauling 2 little ones around with car seats back in the mid '70s. Had to install seat belts. But we were fine, everybody's grown up and just fine!




...Les

 

Dude, this is one of the dumbest comments that I've seen in a while and I'm another that's insulted by it. Obviously you have read very much about the safety rating of the MINI or seen a lot of the pics of how well the insides of MINI's survived accidents. I trust my 9 month old life in it on a daily basis. I wtrust my MINI to save my families life more than I would trust most American vehicles and most SUV. If you've been outside of the US you would realize that we are one of the ONLY contries that rush out to get an SUZ the second we have a baby on the way. Just my opionion though.

 

I know there are a lot of new NAM member who have little ones on the way, so I thought I would resurrect this thread...

my boy is now 6 1/2 months and weighing in at almost 20 pounds. That plus the carrier equals about 30 pounds, and he still has to ride backward. The heavier he gets, the harder it is to lift all of him and get him clicked into the back, but so far, we are still good!

 

Did you sell the Sentra?

 

HAHAHA - No, he still has it, but Baby Ben usually rides with me. :D

 

My Baby Boy, Vincent Joseph, was born 11/8/06 weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces, healthy, beautiful and absolutely ADORABLE baby boy!

he is been riding in the back of my wife's '02 MC CVT since birth. Now he is 12 pounds and 23 inches long.

 

Well, now your boy must be around 8 months old. Were you still using a carrier at 6 1/2 months old?

 

We bought a different infant seat after 6 months after my son outgrew the Peg Perego system, and my son sat it backward facing. Over the holidays there was a family with an 11 month old infant facing forward in their Honda (Accord I think). They were rear ended by hit and run pickup truck as they slowed on the freeway to let another car merge. The baby ended up with severe head trauma and died I believe, and the officials felt that the infant being forward facing may have been part of the reason. You never know what can happen out there.

My son is now 2.75 years old, lol. He gladly climbs into his car seat on his own--it goes faster if I tell him I'm going to help him! He wants to do it himself.

Richard

 

Richard, any tips for fixed rear facing baby positioning? My baby is quickly outgrowing the Combi "basket" seat and he will soon need to start riding in the Britax Roundabout rear facing. I am sure this will be a challenge as he gets heavier.

Any tips are appreciated.

 

The ex-ER nurse that inspected our car seat install, recommended us to go forward facing not at least until our boy is 1 and a half to 2 years old. He cited that his neck muscles (Albeit he is already lifting his head and exhibits good strength and control of his neck muscles at 2 months old) will not have the necessary strength to withstand whiplash until that age.

We are going rear facing for as long as we can.

 

What a great thread to read - though I felt like I was reading a diary there for a while....

Congratulations! GLAD YOU KEPT THE MINI! (is there an echo in here?)

Fully agreed on the "maneuverability vs. weight" arguments, but there's a place for a vehicle like our '02 Odyssey "Mini support vehicle". 240VTEC horsepower and enough space for 7, + luggage, isn't such a bad thing either. They can "motor" as well, they're just in a different league!

Horses for courses...

 

Well not sure how it is for you guys but for us, my wife who is about 5'4 likes to sit in the back seat behind me. I had my son behind the front passenger seat--diagonal to me. With a mirror on the headrest, I could see his face when it was just the two of us. With my wife in place, she would get in first, and I would hand our son to her, and she would plop him into the car seat.

If it was just my son and I, I would normally just place him from the passenger side into his rear facing seat. It's a little awkward to hold him in my arms, and jump into the back seat. Once he's big enough to go forward facing you will regain use of the front seat again--until he gets old enough--around 2, to start kicking the back seat--and then you put the seat all the way forward again! LOL

Btw, with anyone with the non dimming mirror, I found that when I flipped the lever/**** on the mirror (for avoiding nighttime glare) it points perfectly at the mirror in back so I can see what my son is doing without having to readjust my mirror.

Also when you cinch the seat in place, remember that the seat should not move around at all. I didn't know how to tighten it when I first got the seat. It's as simple as pulling the seat belt all the way out and letting it go so it ratchets and locks, then leaning and putting your weight on the seat, continue to "feed" or help the loose part of the belt--side towards the roof/window pillar upward. Once you let go, the seat will be tight and won't move around. Hmmmm, come to think of it--this is more a tip for when you go forward facing. I forgot that in rear facing, I used the Latch attachment points instead. Time goes by really fast!!

Richard